Return Of The Argent Heir

CHAPTER 5

It was around eleven o'clock at the Greywick University.

The administrative hall was already crowded by the time Darius arrived, students clustered along the corridor pretending not to stare as he passed. Whispers followed him like a current.

*That's him. The delivery guy who broke Mars Bentley's face.*

*Did you hear he tried to pay with a fake black card last night to impress his ex-girlfriend who dumped him?*

*I think he's going to be expelled, Mr. Bentley is going to ensure that.*

Charlie walked beside him, jaw tight, trying to keep a calm composure, but as soon as he sighted Mr. Bentley, his eyes widened with terror. "Darius, Mr. Bentley is here."

"I can clearly see that."

"Guyyy, you have to apologize. When we get in there, just drop to your knees and beg Mr. Bentley for forgiveness. If you swallow your pride, maybe he’ll drop the criminal charges and let you graduate!" Charlie whispered, his heart hammering against his chest.

Darius looked at his roommate, his expression completely unreadable. "I have nothing to apologize for, Charlie. I am going to fight and I'm gonna win."

Five senior board members sat behind a long desk, their expressions completely devoid of sympathy. Mr. Bentley and his son sat in the front row of the gallery, watching like a vulture.

Darius stood at the podium while the dean addressed him.

"Mr. Cross," The Dean began, not bothering to look up from his folder, "you're here to answer for an unprovoked, violent assault against a fellow student. Given the severity of Mr. Bentley's injuries and the family's standing with this institution, the board is inclined toward immediate expulsion, pending the criminal complaint already filed. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Unprovoked?" Darius's voice was calm. "Mars literally sucker-punched me in my girlfriend's living room after I caught them together. I have blood on the shirt I was wearing to prove it, if anyone wants to test it. I was merely defending myself."

But as he explained, he noticed the board members weren't even looking at him. They were exchanging glances with Mr. Bentley, who merely nodded.

When Darius finished narrating the incident, the head of the panel, Vice-Chancellor Higgins, cleared his throat. "Mr. Cross, your narrative is entirely unsubstantiated and frankly, irrelevant. The medical reports regarding Mars Bentley's injuries are severe. This institution has zero tolerance for such barbaric violence."

"I defended myself," Darius remarked.

Higgins leaned forward, tapping his pen on the desk. "The board has reached a consensus. We are prepared to offer you two options. Either you accept the immediate annulment of your academic scholarship, effective today or you face permanent expulsion with a formal notation of criminal misconduct placed on your permanent transcript."

From the front row, Mr. Bentley stood up, gesturing grandly. "Let's not be entirely heartless, gentlemen. My son here is a generous boy. He gave me a third option to present to him. If Darius signs a contract to become Mars’s personal, loyal errand boy for the remainder of the academic year, we will allow him to keep his classes with lighter sanctions."

Charlie, sitting in the back, frantically waved his hands, mouthing the words: "Take it! Take the deal. It's just for a semester."

Darius looked at Mr. Bentley, then at the board members, and finally down at his own hands. A day ago, he probably would have accepted the humiliation.

But today, the blood of the Argent ran through his veins. He would no longer allow anyone to trample on his dignity.

Darius raised his head, a cold, piercing smile cutting across his sharp features. "I refuse your proposal, Mr. Bentley."

The room went dead silent and Darius could see his best friend slapping his forehead in disappointment.

"Excuse me?" Vice-Chancellor Higgins and Mr. Bentley chorused simultaneously in disbelief.

"I choose to annul my scholarship," Darius stated.

The room gasped in shock, and Mr. Bentley’s face turned an ugly shade of purple.

For someone who had a semester left to graduate, they believed he'd have no option but to do their bidding, only to be slapped in the face by his refusal.

"This bastard!" Mars muttered under his breath.

Higgins slammed his gavel down. "Mr. Cross! Accepting the annulment of your scholarship means you are legally required to settle all outstanding tuition, laboratory fees, and housing expenses from your freshman year up to the present semester! That is a total of $634,000 due to the bursar's office by 5:00 PM today. If you cannot pay, you will be forced out of campus."

"How about I settle the balance now," Darius said smoothly, his posture completely relaxed.

Mr. Bentley burst into a hysterical laugh. "You? Pay $630,000? You don't even have thirty dollars to your name!"

"Well, I am also willing to pay for your son's medical bills if you cannot afford it," Darius stated confidently, his eyes boring into Mr. Bentley’s irritated gaze.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Mars laughed, though it sounded slightly forced this time. "Dad, he’s bluffing. He’s losing his mind because he knows he’s ruined. He played the exact same prank at the restaurant last night. He doesn't have two pennies to rub together. It was an ordinary lady that came to his rescue last night."

​"Mr. Cross, this panel is not a stage for childish pranks," the Dean warned, his brow furrowing. "If you are wasting our time—"

​"Bring me the digital terminal for the bursary office, I am ready to pay." Darius demanded, his tone sharp enough to cut through the Dean’s lecture.

​Higgins, his face dark with irritation, signaled a junior administrator. "Bring the mobile payment terminal."

​Within two minutes, the administrative assistant returned with the terminal and placed it on the desk before Darius.

​ Darius didn't hesitate. He pulled up his mobile banking app—the same app that, as at this hour yesterday, had displayed a depressing $53.15.

Now, the number of zeroes stretching across the screen was dizzying.

He bypassed his primary account, generated a secure transaction token linked to the corporate routing number and tapped his phone against the terminal.

​

The terminal beeped as ​the screen spun a small loading wheel.

​Mr. Bentley crossed his arms, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "This kid is wasting our time, any second now, the word 'Declined' is going to flash in bright red letters, and then I am personally going to ensure that—"

​Ding.

​A crisp, high-pitched chime echoed through the boardroom. The terminal screen turned a vibrant, glowing green.

​TRANSACTION APPROVED.

​The administrative assistant gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Vice Chancellor Higgins stared at the screen, his jaw slacking so low it looked unhinged.

The Dean stood up so fast his chair scraped violently against the floorboards.

​"What is it?" Higgins stammered, pulling his spectacles off and wiping them frantically. "The... the funds are valid? They're cleared?"

"He paid in full," the administrative assistant breathed in awe as the room erupted into murmurs.

Mr. Bentley’s smirk completely vanished.

His face drained of color as he stared at Darius, his mind racing to calculate how an impoverished orphan could suddenly liquidate over half a million dollars on a whim without a single blink. "Cross... where did you get that kind of money?"

Darius pocketed his phone, adjusting his collar, "Mr. Bentley. My tuition is paid in full, I believe where it came from is irrelevant. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Before the murmurs could settle, the Vice Chancellor's phone rang. He excused himself briefly, and when he returned moments later, his expression had completely transformed entirely.

He looked up, first at Cameron Bentley, then, with visible difficulty, at Darius as he started to address the room again.

"In light of... new information," the VC said carefully, "the board finds insufficient grounds to pursue disciplinary action against Mr. Cross at this time. He has paid his dues and this matter is considered closed immediately.”

Mars shot to his feet. "Closed? This isn't the plan. He broke my face! You can't just—"

"Sit down, Mars," Cameron snapped.

"It has also come to my attention," he continued to announce, clearing his throat as though what he was about to say could cut his lungs, "that Mr. Cross is to be immediately reassigned to the P.E.T. Residence."

A hush fell over the entire room. Even Darius was shocked, but he knew exactly who was behind this.

No student, in the university's history, had ever been granted residence there. Not even Mars.

A senior staff member hurried forward, presenting Darius with a set of keys, a nervous smile plastered across her face. "Right this way, Mr. Cross, whenever you're ready."

Mars's face twisted with disbelief and rage. "Father, how is that even possible? What the hell is wrong with Higgins?" he snapped, rounding on his father.

Mr. Bentley shook his head slowly, utterly baffled. "I have absolutely no idea what's going on."

"Well, you have to get me in there too! I thought you said students aren't allowed at PET,” Mars immediately turned to demand.

"We can't afford it, Mars." Bentley muttered under his breath, turning away without another word.